Unforeseen: Questions and Revelations
by Erailea Evenstar
Summary: Melry's energon poisoning had never been fully resolved and as the mysteries surrounding her ailment grew, so did the attention. In a race against time Melry finds herself seeking answers on her own. Why did she dream? Why was her blood so desirable?
1. Chapter 1

**I do not own Transformers, only my OC.**

Quick note: This story is a **sequel to "Unforeseen"** and is NOT a mary-sue. You do not have to read the prequel to understand this story but, like with all series based stories, it'll help. This site's summery limitations would not allow me to fit the "sequel" part in, so I put it here.

To new readers, welcome. To those who have followed me since "Unforeseen," welcome back!

Prepare yourself for a whirlwind adventure starting...

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Chapter 1**

In a world where the tree's reached for the sky and cities stretched ever further, in a place where the colors were lively and air fresh and crisp, where birds sang merrily and the waters were a brilliant blue; there was something festering, something dark. I couldn't see it. Couldn't hear or smell it, but I knew it was there. I could feel it.

And it threatened to consume me.

The once still air picked up and tossed my hair about. Not even my frigid hands could contain the mass and prevent it from scratching at my eyes. Where was a hair clip when I needed one? For that matter, where was I? There was something vaguely familiar about this place. I had seen a few forests in my life but none quite like this and never from such a high angle, which brought up a very interesting question.

Why was I flying?

Humans shouldn't have been capable of such a feat…

Then it came, a deep rumbling noise that bore into my very heart. The sky twisted into a sickening swirl of red and green. Electricity burst through the clouds. The ground quaked ferociously below. River rose. Mountains sank. Cities collapsed.

And I hurtled towards the ground.

xXxXxXxXx

I shot up. The world shook violently beneath me. Screws rolled off the desk, books cascaded off their shelves and, worst of all, shouting filled the air.

As quickly as it had started however, it ended.

"What in the blazes?" My heart raced with the fury of frightened mouse, yet a puzzling sense of exhilaration played at the fringes.

_The dream, _I sighed. It had plagued my mind for some time now. Each occurrence was different than the last, but they all shared two things in common: the forest and my catapulting out of bed, or in this case, my chair.

I let out a yawn and rubbed my face. I hadn't the slightest idea as to why my mind waged war on itself. In fact there was only one thing I knew for sure right now - I had not caused the real life rumble.

"Melry," a masculine voice shouted from somewhere outside the room.

Something had gone wrong and I had a feeling the tickling at my heart had something to do with it.

"Melry Lennox," the voice called again.

"One minute," I shouted.

Where were my glasses? The desk before me was littered with any number of blurry piles and my glasses were somewhere among them.

Great.

Nuts, bolts, plates and other miscellaneous building supplies were jostled from their piles as my hands searched for their prey. It was hard to believe my vision had come to this. Once upon a time I'd been graced with perfect vision, but a near fatal bout with a rare poison known as energon had left me with small fraction of what I'd once taken for granted.

"Melry, now!"

Damn those thin frames! I swear they sprouted legs when I wasn't looking.

Electrical wires met their container, as did a handful of screws, half of which hit the floor. Tools landed into another container on the ground and – there they were, next to the box. Should have known.

"MELRY!"

For the love of - "Coming!" I grabbed the frames and hurried for the door.

The main hanger was in a state of hustle and bustle. Soldiers clad in black uniforms scurried about below on the main level. It seemed just about everyone was on the move, everyone that is except for one man, who stared up at me as I came to the railing.

"About time," he said with annoyance, though the tone didn't seem to be directly related to me. "Can you lend us a hand?"

"What with?"

His thumb jabbed towards the west wing.

My legs nearly gave out. How in the hell had I missed that! "Did a bomb go off?"

Thick, black smoke was billowing out of the science wing.

"Close enough," the man responded. His dark hair nearly blended with his uniform and would have rendering his olive skin an almost ghostly appearance in the dead of night. Here, in the brightly lit military facility however, he was as visible as the brilliant red sports car behind him. "Think you can convince you-know-who to vacate?"

I let out a deep sigh. "On it." I should have known my boyfriend was involved. He almost always was.

"Thank you," the man gave the thumbs up and headed off. My poor Uncle was overworked.

Colonel William Lennox, as most knew him, functioned as both commanding officer and liaison for NEST, a special ops team formed by the government some nine years ago. His greatest attempts to control the divisions operations however often led to snide remarks from the Director of National Intelligence, despite the praise it earned from just about everyone else. What did she expect him to do? Ignore the lives of the people they had sworn to protect? NEST was a secret army, fighting a secret war against an enemy who had no desire to keep secrets. The Decepticons, as they called themselves, would decimate an entire city if given the chance and sometimes NEST's operations were seen in order to prevent a massacre.

The wonderful Director was too vain to acknowledge this fact however, leading me to believe she caused trouble simply to validate her own existence. After all, it was no secret that the most vital members of the team, the Autobots, had more years of experience under their belts than she had been alive.

_She'll have a fit about this too when she hears,_ I thought with a shake of my head.

My steps resonated on the metal stairs as I descended. The hanger, despite its name, did not actually hold aircrafts. It held vehicles and the three motor bikes I passed soon after reaching the main level were just the beginning. On a normal, uneventful day this place could be a little interesting.

I had to remind myself I had known of NEST for four years. It didn't feel like it. Then again, I had spent the better portion of my first year sleeping thanks to the energon poisoning. What had started out as an ill desired move, forced upon my life in the wake of tragedy, had turned into a whirlwind of discoveries and near death scenarios that had changed my life and the way I looked at things.

The Autobots were truly a special group of people. I was glad I had been given the chance to know them.

"Quit complaining," a deep baritone voice bellowed from within the west wing as I approached. "None of you were injured."

I rolled my eyes.

The events of four years ago had also led to the introduction of my long term boyfriend, who, in his own right, was a troublemaker. He might have saved my life with a unique donation but sometimes I wanted to kick him. Sadly, as I entered through the once polished doors now teetering on their hinges, I was reminded why such a blow would only result in my own foot being broken.

Standing more than twenty feel tall, with a body made entirely of metal, Ironhide was a force to be reckoned with and if any dared question that fact he had two massive cannons integrated into his forearms. He needed only a second to draw them.

"What a mess," I breathed. The lab was a complete disaster!

"Everything's under control," Ironhide shooed several soldiers away with his foot.

What part of a gaping hole in the wall spoke of control? Had there not been several feet of material in the laboratory's frame work pedestrians would have been staring in with horror. The partially melted desk and blackened walls didn't help matters either.

"I'd say that was a success," Que, another large alien robotic creature with bright blue alloy, said cheerfully. He used an oversized fire extinguished to put out what remained of the smolder.

"Save for the faulty trigger," Ironhide chuckled.

"That can be easily remedied once it's reconstructed," Que replied.

My lips pulled in disapproval. "Doesn't needing to rebuild it mean the experiment was a failure?"

Both Autobots turned their attention upon me. "Hardly," Que beamed. He might have been shorter than Ironhide but he still towered high above me. "The weapon would have needed dismantling anyway. This saves a few steps."

I shook my head in defeat. I had long come to realize Autobot scientists were crazy.

Ironhide crouched down and held out a hand. "When it's done we'll have an advantage on the battlefield." His black and silver body fit in well with the uniforms of the human soldiers, but he lacked one very important skill they had. Stealth.

"Well right now it's a disadvantage for the budget," I said and climbed into his palm.

"A small price to pay when it comes to saving lives."

"You mean a small price to pay so you can have a bigger gun."

He grinned.

_Knew it, _I thought.

Ironhide was a weapon specialist, a title bestowed upon him for his vast knowledge and experience with a wide array of weaponry. From guns to cannons, bombs and death rays, as I called them, he knew how to blow a person from here to Kingdom Come, a thousand times over. Both of his signature weapons, in fact, could cause serious damage and were as large as his forearms. They consisted of an energy cannon on one side and a plasma cannon on the other, the latter of which was surrounded by a Gatling gun capable of firing rounds bigger than my fist.

"How big was this gun?" I asked.

Ironhide shrugged.

"How big?" I asked again, stressing each word.

"Twice as long as my cannon and much more powerful."

I couldn't help but laugh at the mere thought. They must have been twice my height. "Is there something you're not telling me?" I asked. "Like, are you trying to compensate for something?"

The world suddenly turned upside down. "Do you need help Que or can I teach this punk a lesson?"

Blood rushed to face. There was no escape. I was lodged between his fingers and one fell move would have me crushed, but it also meant I could not slip and fall to the ground.

"Don't be too hard on her," Que warned. "You know how Ratchet is."

I giggled. Ironhide grunted.

In one swift motion, mastered from years of use, I came to stand up on the crest of his helm. Ironhide's structure rendered his shoulders an impractical place to sit, what with the steep inward angles, and being carried in hand was an inconvenience for someone who actively used them. It was for that reason Ironhide had trained himself to use limited head motions when I was around, an action which, surprisingly, had helped him on the battlefield. He listened more and his aim had improved because of it.

He often joked I was his most demanding teacher.

Once I was settled into a comfortable position I patted his head, a cue that let him know I was ready. His large strides carried us quickly from the lab. All in all the motions were like riding a horse, not that I could say that to my spark mate. He'd taken great offence when Uncle Will had signed me up for horseback lessons years ago.

He still held great distain for the poor beast.

"So what's my lesson for the day?" I asked jokingly.

A brilliant swirling blue light appeared before me.

"Oh," I stared down the barrel of an oversized plasma cannon, "the over compensating methods of an Autobot weapon specialist."

A puff of hot, static filled air hit my face and sent my hair flying. My features scrunched and I fanned my nose free of the fumes. "I think you need to have that checked out. The odor isn't strong enough to kill yet."

In a flurry of moving parts the weapon vanished, recoiled back into his arm like a cowboy did to his holster. "Maybe you should have left your gym clothes in my back seat longer."

"Hey, I only did that once." I pouted playfully.

"Once was enough," his voice was filled with mock disgust. "I could have killed a Decepticon shoving them up his nasal cavity."

"I don't know Ironhide, you could kill a 'con just by walking by right now." I covered my nose. "You smell awful." And for someone made of metal that was an achievement. Aromas didn't saturate their alloy like they did human skin.

"Sulfur," he explained. "It's a component of the weapon we were building."

"Yuck! Good thing I'm not allergic."

"Interested in a bath?"

A snort was hindered by my hand.

"You can undress if you want."

I whacked his helm. "Not funny," I blushed. How could he say that in public? The bath wasn't even private!

He laughed.

"Dirty old man," I muttered.

"That'll be remedied in a few minutes."

"Ha! As if hot water could purify your mind." I lay my stomach down upon his helm. "How many baths did you take when I was sick?"

"Once, sometime twice a day for six months," he said easily.

It might not have sounded unusual but his kin did not require regular baths. Quite the contrary, once a month was overkill unless they got into something.

Ironhide pulled the door of the decontamination chamber open. "You do intend to explain why you had panic attack a while ago, don't you?"

I groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Am I required to keep the water temperatures down?"

I let off a small whine. Sometimes our unique connection was troublesome.

******xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Please Review.** It means a lot to me.

Fear not, those of you who haven't read the prequel, this "unique connection" will be explained next chapter. I do recommend heading over to my profile and reading "Unforeseen" though, if you haven't already. Little details and foreshadowing elements are always fun to know!

And now for something my past readers will recognize - **Next Chapter Preview**!

"I didn't know what to say. Ironhide was sprawled out on the floor with the grumpiest expression fathomable and it was entirely my fault. "


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own Transformers. Only my OC.**

Thank you to everyone who took the time to review :) It really means a lot to me!

To answer a quick questions - forget "Dark of the Moon" exists and float along with the story :) You'll see what happens :)

Readers, transform and enter cyberspace!

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Chapter 2**

There were several things I never saw myself accomplishing in life. One of them was firing a gun properly, considering the last time I'd held one I had managed to shoot everything but the target. Others ran along the lines of owning a mythical creature, seeing my parents alive again, traveling in space and laying out a giant robot with a bit of water. Yet as Ironhide lay sprawled out on the floor with the grumpiest expression fathomable, I knew I had just accomplished one of these remarkable feats.

"I said I needed to _rinse_ my face, not blow it off!"

"Sorry," I squeaked. The controls of the decontamination chamber had been altered since I last used them.

Light blue fluid streamed down Ironhide's chin as he sat up.

"Are you alright?" I hurried down the grooved ramp and nearly wiped out in a puddle at the bottom.

Ironhide sniffed and pressed a fist to his nose. He wasn't in the least bit fazed at the sight of his own energon. "Punctured tube," he said before inhaling sharply.

I climbed onto his knee. "Let me see."

"It'll stop in a minute." He took another deep breath.

I knew a bloody nose was at the bottom of a long list of injuries my beloved Ironhide had endured in life, which included loss of limb, and I knew his body had the ability to heal, but it didn't make me feel any better. He didn't need this kind of abuse when he was home. I often joked about kicking him but the reality was I rarely ever acted on it and even when I did the blow couldn't even amount to a friendly swat on the back.

I sighed heavily. His injuries always seemed to worry me. Would there be a day when they would be too significant to heal?

The mere thought sent a shiver down my spine.

"What's troubling you?" Ironhide prodded.

"Nothing." I leaned forward, away from his assault. "Just thinking."

"Apparently. Your anxiety levels are high."

I sighed once more.

A sense of reassurance tickled at my heart before two fingers took hold of my sides and lifted me just enough for his hand to get under my body. "Quit worrying about my nose," he said once I was at eye level. "It's already stopped."

I shook my head. "It's not just that."

He seemed to understand. "You knew from the beginning what my job entailed."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"I would rather you feel my pain and exhilaration than have you out on the battlefield with me."

"I know," I said quietly.

Four years ago Ratchet had preformed a bizarre surgical experiment in hopes of saving my life from the toxic energon that had invaded my body. It had worked, but at a cost. Ironhide and I had lost our emotional privacy.

"I don't like knowing you're hurt and not being able to help," I said.

"Ratchet does a fine enough job."

I bowed my head, "I can't possibly out class Ratchet," and then looked up, "but just as you wanted to be there for me when Roadbuster cracked my skull open, I want to be there for you when you are hurt."

A dismal yet frustrated sense hit my heart.

My life had been spared through a risky procedure Ratchet called 'splicing,' in which a small fragment of Ironhide's spark had been extracted and placed within my chest to act as something of a pacemaker. Just as a heart pumped blood through the human body, a Cybertronian spark energized the energon into doing the same. Together the two ensured my body remained stable, but the anomalies surrounding my health had little to do with the spark we now shared. They stemmed from the serums I had been injected with shortly after my infection. Serums Ratchet had hoped would cleanse my system of the deadly toxin without need for further action. Instead they had done something much worse.

They had mutated my body and allowed the energon to bind with my blood.

"The war will eventually be over," Ironhide said. "Just be patient."

"Eventually," I repeated. "What exactly does that entail? A year? A decade? A millennia?"

His optics dimmed.

"Why do I have a feeling I'll be dead before something happens?"

He knocked me over, "because you're a morbid brat, that's why."

"Me?" I pushed against his finger. "Who's the one who's constantly worried I'll drop dead of a heart attack."

He grunted. "I've been less worried about that since I got you into school."

"I got myself in, thank you."

"Only because I forced you to apply."

"Oh," my eyes narrowed, "and what would have done had I not been accepted anywhere?"

"The same thing I did in the months leading up to your first semester."

I groaned. "Would you really have left me in _their_ care for an entire year?"

"Better them than the Decepticons."

"I can assure you that traveling the world would have been the safer option."

"Until you were captured on the notion of being a spy again."

I frowned. "I can't help North Korean's military is crazy. Besides which," I pushed his finger away as it came for me again, "I wasn't captured."

"It was close enough."

True. Ironically it had been a Decepticon Seeker who saved me too, though I suppose Ironhide deserved some of the credit considering he had been the one to shoot the bugger down in the first place. It had been the final straw though. After two years of dragging me around the world and ditching me at random locations so he could engage in battle, he'd finally had enough and hurried the finalization of my independence.

The splicing process had rendered us incapable of separation, at first. Much like a babe the fragment in my chest had been weak and vulnerable and had required Ironhide's unique spark signature to feed and nourish it until it was strong enough to support itself. It had not been an easy task. The farther Ironhide traveled, the weaker the signal grew and if it grew too dim my spark faltered to the point where I suffered a heart attack. Unfortunately the bond was like a rubber band. It had the ability to stretch pretty far, but it also had the ability to snap without warning. I had suffered twice from its recoil before Ironhide and Ratchet and decided to take extreme caution, opening the way to global travel.

"Do you ever miss having me out there?" I asked.

"No," Ironhide said easily.

A pang of hurt hit my heart.

"I have no reason to miss you on the battlefield," he said. "I think much more clearly when I don't have to worry about your safety, but," he ruffled my saturated hair, "I do miss having you around when things are quiet."

I smiled sadly and leaned against his fingers.

Ironhide had spent a solid year off the battlefield to care for me. The second had been used to carefully challenging our distances. The object had been to get me away from Ironhide in tiny baby steps but to do so in an educational manner since I was being home schooled at the time. If the Autobots had a mission in Italy, for instance, they tried to leave me at museum or a historic sight. It didn't always work out that way and I was often left with book work but it had allowed me to see the world and, for the most part, I had always been safe. It hadn't been too bad for Ironhide either. He loved fighting and saw a fair amount of action but for the most part he had resigned himself to watch, listen and gather what information he could on the Decepticon without facing them. His main concern had been me. By the third year he had returned to his usual duties and engaged it whatever battles he could. Yet when the forth came about he removed himself once more, this time with the driving desire to have me on my own feet, entirely.

It was a wonder we hadn't grown tired of one another. I had only suffered one, fairly minor, heart attack from the bond-stretching this past year but Ironhide's demands for me to attend college had placed a great deal of heartache and anxiety on us both. I hadn't known what I wanted to study at first and the threat of further attacks had me weary of extensive separation. Together the two had caused any number of fights and it didn't help that I knew my GED was fake.

The final two year of my high school career had been spent under Ironhide and Ratchet's tutelage, which meant I scarcely learned what the average high school student was required to. Health classes had amounted to a five minute spiel on human contraception and ended with Ratchet saying it was all pretty pointless anyway because Ironhide could no more give me a STD than he could impregnate me. The lecture might have been short but it had left me with nightmares of thirty pound robot baby in my stomach for days.

Ultimately my education had come down to Cybertronian studies because it's what they knew. I had learned a bit of human based physics and chemistry, but most of what I learned revolved around alien biology, anatomy, engineering and mathematics. So I was all but certain I had been granted a diploma because a few arms had been twisted and I didn't even have SAT or ACTS scores to back me up. Yet despite all this I somehow managed to get into a tech school. In Florida. Near the KennedySpaceCenter. Where four Autobots were permanently stationed.

Yeah, I sensed a conspiracy.

"Hey," Ironhide nudged me. "You should talk to Ratchet about that dream."

It took me a moment to realize he was referring to my usual nightmares and not the baby ones. "I don't want to, thanks."

He gave me that don't-make-me-force-you look.

"I think we both know what telling him will result in," I said.

"Theories might eventually yield answers," he pressed.

"Might," I reiterated. "Until then I am a living- " the water shut of "-pin cushion."

The door to the decontamination chamber slid open and revealed a tall yellow-green mech about Ironhide's height with his arms crossed. "Ironhide, do I need to rearrange your circuitry?" Ratchet asked in annoyance. "It's the middle of winter and you have Melry soaked to the bone without a change of clothes. What part of this sounds intelligent?"

Ironhide shrugged. "I didn't plan on throwing her out in the cold, but now that you mention it..."

"Don't you dare," my eyes narrowed.

His face contorted into a lopsided grin.

I knew the jerk wouldn't act on the words but it gave me reason to glower at him, even if it was done playfully. "My sweater is in Uncle Will's office," I told Ratchet. "I can use that while my clothes dry."

"Hmm," Ironhide sounded. He didn't need to complete the remark for me to blush.

_Pervert_.

Ironhide scratched my back with a warm hearted chuckle.

"If that's all you're going to give me you can sleep on the curb tonight."

"That a threat?"

"It's a promise and I hope it snows." It was difficult to sound mean when amusement lay beneath the guise. It still earned me a delightfully oversized kiss though.

"Take her to get dry," Ironhide held me out. "I'll follow shortly."

I hopped between hands. The dryer built into the room wasn't exactly human friendly, unless of course one wanted a good lesson on how it felt to be in a hurricane. I had already been through one tornado in my life. I didn't need a reminder.

"Melry, you really ought to be more cautious," Ratchet said as we departed. "You may be resilient to illness but you are not impervious. You know how badly your system reacts when something gets through."

I rolled my eyes.

Ratchet had taken over the role of my physician ever since I had been infected. It wasn't hard to understand why. Before their kind had arrived on Earth energon had been an unknown substance to humans, but it was an everyday necessity for Cybertronians. Not only did it serve as their life-blood, it powered their ships, weaponry and was even acted as something of a food source. Without it they would perish.

And there wasn't much on Earth.

"Anything I need to know?" Ratchet asked when we entered his lab a short time later, my sweater in hand.

"Since the last time you asked?" I hopped onto the desk. "No." Especially considering he'd only asked yesterday.

The doctor nodded and proceeded to pull a large heater and a suitcase sized container from the cabinets lining the wall. The former found itself placed on the far side of the desk while the latter landed at my feet. He then turned to his computer.

I only stared at the case.

"Unless you've developed the ability to absorb medication through your eyes I suggest you make a better effort."

Now there was an idea! If only I could make it work…

"Can I take these with me when I head south," I asked as I fiddled with the latch.

"I have no use for them here," he replied. His tone was kind but my mind added the 'well duh' comment just to make me feel like a genius.

Despite its size the case held very little. Most of it was padding in which a medium sized mirror and several bottles of medication, all crafted by the doc-bot himself, rested comfortably. I was required to have three injections a day on top of the high number of pills he'd prescribed. It was all in attempt to regulate what my spark could not, which was quite a bit. From high blood pressure to nutritional disorders the serums and energon had done a number on my body. Not to mention Ratchet was still trying to figure out how to dispel the contaminant from my body.

"Are you enjoying your vacation?" Ratchet asked after I disposed of the garbage.

"More than you can possibly imagine," my voice was filled with such relief that Ratchet laughed.

"Come now. School can't be that bad."

"School's fine," I assured, "if anything it's a little boring. I have to take all these dumb classes before I can start those of my major. Most of it is elementary school level, if you want my honest opinion. My mentorship on the other hand…" I didn't even finish the sentence, only raised my hands and shook my head. "I'm not even going there."

"You can always back out," Ratchet reminded gently. "No one is forcing you to remain in a difficult program."

"I'd never live it down."

"If you suffer a mental breakdown your mentors mightn't either."

I wanted to believe he was joking, but then remembered I was dating Ironhide, the same guy who had driven an Autobot's head into the concrete for calling me a stupid, pathetic, flea bag of a wench. Not that I had contested his actions, beyond a surprised yelp. It was hard to feel bad for someone who refused to seek medical attention and immediately threw themselves right back into a tussle with the very person who'd just rearranged their face.

Trigger happy numbskulls, I was surrounded by them.

My reflection seemed to agree. I looked like a war torn drowned rat. My long brown hair was clumped together in what resembled poorly crafted dreadlocks, my skin held an almost vampiric hue thanks to the energon and my vibrant blue eyes were filled with exhaustion.

Oh who was I kidding. I often looked like a drowned rat. If I wasn't caught in sudden downpour I was in the pool swimming laps because I didn't want to use the gym.

"You and Ironhide should come down and visit me at some point," I said. "There's this fun little place where you can see manatees and it's pretty secluded."

Ratchet looked over his shoulder with a smile. "I would enjoy that."

"Then what's keeping you?" I asked.

His gestured around him. "This. We never know when or where the Decepticons will strike. Having our team dispersed across the country would cost more time and money than your government is willing to spend on us."

"I think NEST would survive a battle or two without your assistance." I moved closer to the heater. "Just send Jolt up to take your place for a couple of weeks. He'd enjoy seeing combat again."

"I'd imagine." Ratchet closed the program he was using to take notes and turned his full attention upon me. "Jolt has always enjoyed a good battle, but orders are orders. Our numbers are limited and Optimus desires my medical expertise. I must respect his decision."

"I know. It just seems stupid that there are four combat loving Autobots stationed in Florida, one of whom is a medic, and you're stuck here. Why can't it be a four for two switch? The Wreckers would love it and I think Ironhide would enjoy at least a week with me."

"Unfortunately that's the problem." Ratchet said. "The Wreckers are notorious for going all out in combat and most the time we need to be reserved. They'd cause as much destruction in a city as the Decepticons and not give it a second thought."

Hence why one of them had found their head planted in the concrete. "I guess, but it still sucks."

The medi-bot smiled softly and squatted down to eye level. "You know, we've all been very impressed with you these last several months, especially Ironhide. You know him, he won't admit it, but he was afraid you wouldn't adapt. We're all glad to see you're doing well and I have no doubt you'll continue doing so regardless of whether we can make it down or not."

I could only force a smile. "I do what I can for the team."

"Don't be so sarcastic," he said. "College might not have been what you wanted to do but it's important for you to remain connected with your peers. Your future is yours to choose. Don't burn your bridges too early."

My brows knitted together. "I thought the saying meant you shouldn't burn bridges at all."

Ratchet smiled weakly. "Unfortunately knowing us means you have to burn a few, if only to appease the top secrete nature of our existence."

I had to admit, it was remarkable they had remained a secret this long. Over the years there had been any number of stories and videos taken by victims and bystanders, but the governments of the world had so much control over their people they had them believing it was nothing but a lie. Some incidents were covered up with a movie filming gone wrong. Others claimed disasters of one sort or the other, be it terrorist, earthquake, or punctured gas lines. Whatever the excuse it left the believers looking like conspiracy addicts and those who actually knew the truth threatened.

I couldn't tell my best friends who my boyfriend truly was because I would be thrown in jail for revealing the Autobots. It made for so many complications, a double life that was often hard to keep track of. What was I supposed to tell people when some of my closest friends weren't even human?

_Oh, you know, I totally had it out this weekend with a giant green monster who's armed to the teeth with alien weaponry, _I thought. Yeah, that would go over well with my college friends. So would telling them I was so close to an alien spaceship I could lick it, not that I actually wanted to. I would probably develop some horrific space disease if I did. Goodness knows when the Xanthium was last cleaned.

"How is Jolt holding up down there?" Ratchet asked. "I haven't spoken with him in a while and he doesn't contact me unless he's in a jam with your condition."

I shrugged. "Other than not being in battle he seems to be doing fine. He gets fed up with the Wreckers, but, seriously, who doesn't?"

Ratchet smiled knowingly.

"He crashes at my apartment every now and again to get away from them."

"They can be a torturous lot," Ratchet agreed. "Much like Ironhide," he grimaced as if in memory of some horrific event.

"You have a problem Ratchet or are your facial sensors glitching?" The devil's voice rang.

I couldn't help but smile. The doctor on the other hand found a solid frown owning his face. He stood to face him.

"I think I'm fairly easy to deal with," Ironhide said.

"Since when?" Ratchet and I asked at the same time, sparking a laugh from me and an amused smirk from him.

Ironhide glared down at me. "Who's side are you on?"

I grinned and shrugged childishly. Ironhide was more than capable of getting me in trouble if he wanted to. I wasn't worried though. Ratchet knew Ironhide was difficult so teasing him was hardly anything new. Ratchet, however, was blissfully unaware of a few of my so-called bad habits. One of them included staying up until four in the morning, something considered taboo because of my illness.

"Are you finished taking blood?" Ironhide asked, effectively changing the topic.

"I didn't need to. I ran all my tests yesterday."

"And does she check out?"

"As far as I can tell. There are a few little things but nothing that raises a flag. I'll look her over again before she heads back to school but I doubt there will be any problems." His voice turned harsh when he added, "if you don't get her sick."

Ironhide remained undaunted. "And here I thought she would enjoy a swim in the Potomac."

I was cold just thinking about that.

"You ready to hit the road?" Ironhide asked me, ignoring the dirty look from his age old friend.

I pulled my sweater on over my head. "Yep."

"Good." He held out his hand. "I need to check in with Optimus then we're in the clear."

"Any destination in mind?" I climbed into his palm.

"Anywhere but here."

I smiled. "Sounds good."

I had a week left before I returned to school and I intended to use it well.

**xXxXxXxXxXxxXxXxXxXx**

**Please Review. It means a lot to me!**

No preview this go around because I'm in the middle of deciding whether chapter 3 is remaining where it is or if it's getting booted to chapter 4. I don't want to spoil anything too early ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own Transformers. Only my OC.**

Sorry for the delay guys. You're just going to have to bear with me a bit. I'm kind of struggling right not. Not with the story, mind you, that goes pretty smoothly when I do get around to it. It's more of a personal life fiasco. I'm not going to get into the details. I just have too much to deal with right now I'm trying to retain my sanity.

I'll try and get future chapters up on a more timely manner, but until thing calm down I can't guarantee anything. Just be rest assured I am working on this story.

And as a quick additional note, since a new character is introduced in this chapter and a wee bit of back story for a character introduced in chapter 1 - Dino is Dino, Que is Que, Wheeljack is Wheeljack and Mirage is, well, Mirage. I disliked Michael Bay's depiction of Wheeljack so much I refuse to see Que as Jack. No. Never. Boo! And rather than making things confusing by only separating one set, I separated both. So... creative license away!

Thank you to all my lovely reviewers!

And let's begin!

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

**Chapter 3**

I yawned and stretched my arms above my head. It was late and a wet cold penetrated through my jeans and threatened to rattle my very bones. Ironhide and I had made a quick stop at home so I could change before heading out to one of our favorite spots - Susquehannock State Park. We knew all the tranquil locations and with the sun setting early, the cold and threat of a dismal evening it was all the more safe.

"How are you holding up?" Ironhide asked from below.

"I'm good," I reassured. His helm was not exactly a prime location for a nap. "What about you?"

"Your curse is threatening to come true." There was a slight upward tilt to his head.

I smiled. "Maybe you shouldn't give me a reason to cuss you."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so squeamish."

My eyes rolled. "Not everyone likes being a pervert Ironhide,"

"It's not perverted if both parties are enjoying themselves," he pointed out humorously.

I crossed my arms childishly. "I'm not enjoying myself."

"Yet."

I couldn't help but smile. "Wishful thinking, don't you think?"

"After we've been together this long?" He questioned. "You're just pretending to be coy."

"Really?" I quirked a brow. "Perhaps I should remember that next time I get asked out."

He grunted and I patted his helm. College was an interesting experience and he had heard many a tale.

"So what's with all the hazardous science as of late?" I asked. "Que's been unbelievably dangerous since I got home a few weeks ago. I can't remember him ever being this bad." Not that I had known him very long. He'd only been on Earth about eight months.

"The more his budget is cut the more accidents there will be," Ironhide explained. "He's a former student of Wheeljack's."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Que has been trained to work under any circumstances and disregard the chances of failure, no matter how high they may be."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," I said sarcastically.

"We rarely had the proper supplies on Cybertron," Ironhide explained, "the Decepticons had a strangle hold on much of the planet's recourses. Only the creativity and fearlessness scientists like Wheeljack allowed us to obtain more advanced technology. It was a risk we had to take."

I sighed. The concept was troubling but there was no way to argue the logic. I couldn't imagine living in a world where recourses were scarce and the only means of survival laid on risky procedures that were more apt to kill or injure in process of trying to help. "Has anyone tried explaining this to Director Mearing?"

"Multiple times," Ironhide replied in frustration. "She refuses to see the benefits of Que's work."

"On one hand I can understand," I admitted. "Que's accidents have a tendency to be costly, but if a higher budget means less damage I don't understand why they refuse to give in."

Ironhide grunted. "You're talking about bureaucrats and politicians."

"Good point." It always seemed the government was screwing NEST. Of course it didn't help that Optimus was too kind of a soul to say otherwise, not unless things got out of hand. I loved the Autobot leader to bits, but his concept of letting humans have substantial say on how the planet was to be protected was a little out in left field. After all, politicians seldom saw the battlefield.

"Too bad we can't stake them out for the Decepticons," I said. "It would be nice to get rid of all the corrupted officials."

Ironhide chucked. "Tossing them into a tank full of sharkticons would be more entertaining."

"Whatever they are." I rolled my eyes. I might have known the Autobots for four years but there was still a lot I didn't know about them and their world.

"Giant metal piranhas, essentially."

I grimaced. "How many nightmarish creatures do you have on Cybertron?"

He shrugged. "The same number as you do here I'd wager…" he paused and shook his head. "At least before the 'cons devastated it."

I let out a small regretful groan. I'd hit a nerve. I could feel the pang of sadness in his spark. "Sorry 'Hide." He was homesick.

"It doesn't matter." His lie would have been convincing had it not been for our link. "What's important is we keep Earth from suffering the same fate."

"I think you're doing a good job." I lay down and gave him a not-so-effective hug. "And you know you're always welcome at my place."

He made a small noise, as if voicing a smile, and raised his hand up to the edge of his helmet. Within moments he was sitting on the ground and I on a large rock beside him. The Susquehanna River flowed far below but it was difficult to see thanks to the lightless night.

"Cybertron used to have some spectacular views," Ironhide said after a while.

"I bet." I leaned against his side. "Wish I could have seen them."

A solitary finger stroked my arm with the gentleness of a feather. "You would have enjoyed it, before the war."

Unfortunately the strife had begun well before I was born. Well before the human race had become a civilized culture, for that matter. Their race far outdated my own and given Ironhide's age I had reason to believe their kin had come into existence during Earth's infancy. That, however, was unknown, even to them. Much of their history had been lost in the war.

"Care to talk about your hometown?" I asked. It was both a comforting and touchy subject for him. He had many fond memories of his childhood, but he also had plenty of horrific ones thanks to his abusive mother.

Ironhide grunted. "Haven't you heard enough of those stories?"

"I don't know," I smiled and hugged his finger. "You left me hanging at the part where you and your friends booby trapped the schoolhouse."

He laughed and scooped me up. "Alright." I was placed on a branch about eye level with him. "Where did I leave off?"

xXxXxXxXxXx

I awoke to the feeling of movement and a low rumbling sound.

"We're almost home," Ironhide's deep voice met my ears.

I groaned and rolled over.

There was a soft chuckle and the parts in the seat beneath me rotated in a massage like pattern against my side. My whine did nothing more than fuel his assault.

"Can I stay here forever," I mumbled.

He grunted. "You wouldn't like it when I transformed."

I groaned and curled up against the back wall of the Topkick's cabin. It was a small space to sleep in but I had long become accustom to his alt form.

"You can sleep when we get home Mel," Ironhide nudged me gently. "Let's wake up enough so you don't run into the garage wall again."

I couldn't formulate a retort. I could only remember having done it more than once. Mornings weren't my ally.

"Ironhide, do you copy?" Optimus's voice filtered through the air. A small part of my brain registered it was coming through the radio.

"Loud and clear," Ironhide replied.

"What's your location?"

Had Optimus's voice not been so booming I might have actually fallen back asleep. Curses. I could phase out Ironhide's voice fairly easily because I knew it too well. I couldn't say the same for the rest of the Autobots.

"I'm not far outside Lennox's home. Need something?" Ironhide asked.

"Director Mearing has called for an immediate council. I would appreciate your presence."

"Let me guess," Ironhide grumbled, "it's all waiting on me."

"As per my request, yes."

I groaned softly and rubbed my eyes. The request meant one of two things: the team was going to get an ear full about the lab explosion or there something else was on the Director of National Intelligence's mind. No matter what the issue though, I did not want to be present. I couldn't stand the lady.

"I'll be there shortly."

"Thank you, old friend." And with that Optimus was gone and the com-link went quiet.

I sighed and sat up. "So much for home."

"I can still drop you off," Ironhide commented.

"What for? There isn't much to do there."

"You could sleep," he pointed out with mild amusement.

"Too late for that." My stomach growled. "And I'm hungry."

He grunted. "All the more reason to take you home."

"Just drop me off near The Mall. I'll find something."

xXxXxXxXxXx

Talk about brilliant ideas. It was flipping cold!

Ironhide had dropped me off at a small restaurant not far from The Mall and I had enjoyed a hot meal. The comfort had only lasted so long however and now I was out in the damp, chilly atmosphere that cloaked Washington D.C. It needed to snow already. This damp cold was too much.

I shivered and hugged myself to stay warm.

Despite its name The Mall was not a shopping area. It was an educational and commemorative part of the nation's capital, filled with memorials and museums. I usually came here for a morning jog. The small park surrounding the war memorials was a peaceful place to exercise, but not today. I had no desire to be caught out in the cold when I wad sweaty and I certainly wasn't taking the metro out to the hanger, as I normally did, while Mearring was there.

I plunked down on an ice cold bench in the museum stretch of The Mall. There wasn't much going on. A few people were out walking or jogging but not many. Come spring this place would be bustling with the casual walkers and joggers and swarms of school children on fieldtrips. It was almost a waste really. The young ones loved the museums, which was great, but the history of the war memorials was lost on most of them, especially the older students who found the journey boring and passed the time talking or texting. It was a little insulting actually. If only they knew what the battlefield was really like…

I shook the thought from my head. It was best they didn't. War was not a pleasant thing and the memorials always reminded me of why.

I took in a deep breath before removing my glasses to clean. At least I could find some comfort in the fact that my uncle was resourceful and Ironhide's alloy was stronger than most. But it did not ease the pain of losing others. Ironhide and Will were family, but the years I had spent with NEST had granted me many friends and their losses were just as painful.

"Do you enjoy torturing yourself?"

I jumped. A tall man with amused blue eyes and model's physique stood behind me.

"It's a little cold to be hanging around outdoors, don't you think?"

"Dino?" I asked in bewilderment.

His only response was to hop over the back on the bench and sit beside me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, still stunned. I was not accustomed to seeing the Autobot in this form, but his thick Italian accent and the vibrant red Ferrari parked on the street corner were distinct indicators. "I thought you guys had a meeting?"

"I do not require a non combatant to remind me of my duties," he said in a nonchalant manner.

My brows knitted. "Are you referring to me or to Mearing?"

"You are not an arrogant cod." He stretched his arms across the back of the bench and took to lounging.

Like many of the Autobots, Dino had a secondary, human, form. It wasn't anything extravagant, unless one took into account the hassles it took to create them. The bodies were simply a miniature form of the given Autobot, cloaked in a hologram and imbued with a fragment of their own spark for life. It certainly wasn't the most favorable way of living, what with distinct drawbacks like the lack of weaponry and ability to transform, but they did grant the aliens more freedom.

Ratchet had perfected the art of spark splicing for them, but stood firm that it was to only be done once. The near fatal second procedure Ironhide had undergone for my sake had proven why. Thankfully only Ironhide's lesser form had been lost.

"You can't evade Mearing forever," I warned.

He shrugged and laid his head back.

I didn't blame him for wanting to avoid her but my poor Uncle was the one who got the brunt of Mearing's wrath when things didn't go her way. "Didn't Optimus ask you to attend?"

"I was present this morning."

Now that was one hell of a comment. "What happened?"

He didn't answer. He didn't even stiffen for that matter. Damn it.

Dino was highly trained in the art of espionage and as such had the ability to lead me on in a lie without me realizing. Yet silence wasn't a lie, so what was his game? Was he just trying to rile me up out of sport or was he simply dropping hints for me to come to my own conclusion about something that was top secret? It was difficult to say. He had arrived just before I had entered college, so I didn't know much about him.

"How's the hunt treating you?" I asked. The only thing I could do was fish for answers.

"It's dull," his voice was flat, "the Decepticons have gone chicken."

I would have cheered had it not been for one simple fact – the Decepticons were always up to something. "What happened with your last mission?"

"We found a scout."

When he said nothing more I pressed with a simple, "and?"

"It led nowhere."

"Why? You couldn't get him to talk?"

Dino grunted in a manner that made the answer seem obvious. "The dead have a tendency to be silent."

My brows knitted. "Then what did you go and kill him for?"

"That," he sat up, "is a question better left for Ironhide."

I should have known. The dummy. He needed to get his trigger finger under control. "A lone scout can't have been the only lead you've had in the last several months. My link with Ironhide is far more active than that, unless you haven't been running missions with the team."

"Your leaders have determined it is more important for us to manage your world's diplomatic issues than it is for us to finish what they have determined to be a phantom war."

"Phantom war? What part of the trillions of dollars in Decepticon damage makes their existence suddenly unimportant?"

He motioned for me to keep it down and I flushed with embarrassment. "The Decepticons have been silent for several months now. Your leaders are using this fact to move us onto their own campaigns. Ending the pointless warfare between your people is beneficial for their careers and they are blackmailing us into following their command by claiming we must serve some sort of purpose to remain on your world. There are ways around it but Optimus doesn't want to spark confrontation. He is pushing the bounders already by sending me on reconnaissance missions without Mearing's approval."

I huffed. "What is wrong with these people? Megatron is out there formulating a plan that could decimate an entire city and they're sending you on human missions?"

"If that were all Megatron was planning, he'd have lost his touch."

He was right, at least from what I had come to understand about the Decepticon leader. I had somehow managed to avoid him during my years of travel with Ironhide, though I had done so just barely. Starscream had been a far greater issue in my life than his master. My history with the Seeker was anything but favorable and if Starscream caught so much as a glimpse of me his oversized jet engines were headed in my direction.

It was difficult to evade someone who struck from above.

"So, is that what this meeting is about?" I asked. "Human warfare that humans can't deal with?"

"Perhaps."

I groaned. This guy was too much. "Are you trying to kill me? Or are you just completely oblivious?"

He smirked. "Death is permanent. I wouldn't recommend it."

"Jerk."

He chuckled. "The meeting is what it is. Knowing its details is of little importance when you are detached from the unit's activities."

"You realize that I could have attended that meeting, right?"

"And yet you are here."

I frowned.

"Leave Ironhide to deal with his life," Dino said. "Your meddling only poses as a distraction."

"Last time I checked, it was normal for a lover to worry about their other half," I said crossly.

"Why do you think he left you in the Wrecker's care?" he asked calmly.

My face scrunched once more. I did not count that as a good move.

"You may not appreciate their existence but the fact remains you are safer with them than you were with our team. And we are safer with you gone."

I could feel anger swelling in my veins. "You weren't even around back then."

"You are very much like him."

Confusion took over.

"You are as stubborn and passionate as Ironhide and too blinded by your own desires to see how it affects those around you."

I opened my mouth to rebuke -

"Yet there is a genuine kindness beneath it all, one I do not think either of you have fully realized. Perhaps I am wrong, but there is something about you that has brought out another side to Ironhide, one I have never seen in all the years I have known him. It's concerning. Ironhide has avoided weakness most of his life and I fear his knowing you has harmed him in ways you do not realize. His attachment runs deep. If he were to lose you I doubt there would be any hope for him."

I could only stare.

"I have never seen Ironhide act the way he does with you. The kind of tenderness he shows. The innocent teasing and willingness to drop what he's doing for you. What do you think is going to happen when you're gone? He'll collapse. You have called up emotion that he has kept hidden for the better part of his life and you expect him to go back to hiding them? I think even you can realize that is impossible. You two have been through too much together for him to simply fall back into his old self. His life is just as bound to yours as yours is to him. You need to understand that. No one wants to see Ironhide fall. The least you could to protect him is to protect yourself. Don't run around the world and get into our affairs just because you want to. You are going to get him killed."

I looked away. He was wrong, that's what I wanted to tell him, but there was something nagging at me. "Is this an emotional ploy to keep me state side?" I asked softly.

Dino didn't answer.

Ironhide would be fine, I was sure of it. He was stronger than I could ever be. We had been through a lot together in the last several years and though I knew my… death would disturb him, I had faith he'd survive it. But what if he didn't... What if he did die because of me? Because I had been too stupid to stay out of the way?

My nose tingled and I fought back the brewing tears.

Dino broke out laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked, taken aback.

"You are incredibly easy to toy with."

My face fell flat and heat rose into my cheeks.

"Ironhide collapsing in on himself? Are you serious? Do you not know everything he's been through? The 'bot has lost more friends than you can count. I think he can survive a spark mate."

"Dino," annoyance took over the sadness. "Are you trying to piss me off?"

"I believe depress is the term you are looking for."

My fist rose, "I'll show you depressed."

Dino was on his feet in an instant but he showed no signed of apprehension or fear. If anything he was laughing harder.

"You hang out with Sunstreaker and Sideswipe way too much!"

"Perhaps you should have thought of that before clinging to my words."

"Oh!" I lunged at the Autobot spy and missed.

He took off down the pathway, still laughing at me.

I didn't know what I was going to do when I caught him, but it wasn't going to be pretty.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Please Review!**

Spy's, they aren't to be trusted...

Dino isn't actually a jerk. We'll see and learn more about him next chapter.

**Next Chapter Preview:**

I was exhausted, huffing and sweaty and Dino only stood a few feet away.

"That all you got?" Dino asked, not in the least bit winded.

"Just. Give me. A second." I breathed. I could catch him. One more step. That was all I needed. Then I could punch him. Or something. Maybe I'd just fall on him. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea right now. I'd fall on him.

"Well good," Dino smirked. "Ratchet wanted me to give you a work out."

I let out a groan and collapsed. I hated spy's.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Tranformers, only my OC**

I'm alive! And proud of myself, actually. I wrote this chapter in 2 weeks, though none of you would guess that based on the time frame. I was away on vacation (which wasn't all that relaxing, sadly) for 2 weeks following the last update. So I had no way of working on this story. One of those things where I thought I had it mostly done before I left, but upon my return decided I hated it and scrapped the entire thing and began anew.

So thank you for all the reviews! They were lovely to come back to and really picked my spirits up when I have to launch a nuclear bomb on my chapter ("Nuclear launch detected." - Adjutant, Starcraft).

**Onward and upward... or something along those means.**

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Chapter 4**

"That all you got?" Dino taunted from he stood, just out of reach.

"Just. Give me. A second." I breathed. He was right there. I could catch him. One more step. That was all I needed. Then I could punch him. Or something. Maybe I'd just fall on him. Yeah, that sounded like a good idea right now. I'd fall on him.

"Well good." Dino smirked. "Ratchet wanted me to give you a work out."

I let out a distressed groan and collapsed.

I hated spies!

"I have to admit," Dino squatted down, "I didn't think you could run that hard for so long. I am impressed."

"Screw you," was all I could get out.

He laughed. "Maybe next time you will better consider your adversary before leaping into conflict. An agent of my caliber is capable of high speed, long distance runs humans simply are not designed for."

Now he tells me.

"Come," he offered a hand, "the dirt is not the best place to retain one's composure, lest one wishes an ambulance to be called for."

I could do with Ratchet rescuing me right now. I needed to get away from this moron, but I still gave in and made heavy use of Dino's shoulder. It was my pathetic attempt at revenge.

The accursed spy sat quietly beside me when we at last found a park bench. It really wasn't fair. I was exhausted. My heart was racing, my legs were virtually numb and my throat and sides ached terribly, yet Dino didn't show the faintest signs of fatigue. It didn't even look like he had exerted himself, as if the entire ordeal had been child's play. It made me feel un-athletic and I knew I was in shape.

"How's your hand?" Dino asked when my breathing had finally steadied.

_Sore, like everything else._ I had been so close to catching him at one point during our chase. All I had needed was an inch, at most, and I would have grabbed his collar. But no, he diverted course so suddenly I wound up tripping over myself. I had left a portion of my hand behind as a token of animosity.

"Let's see." Dino moved to grab my wrist.

_As if._ I pulled away. He could go find someone else's hand to abuse. He'd done quite enough to mine already.

"Would you rather I disrupt a meeting to contact Ratchet about a trivial injury and risk vexing Director Mearing."

Was he really trying to blackmail me now? "Why do you have to be such a jerk, Dino? What have I ever done to you?"

His smiled annoyed me even further. "Perhaps Sunstreaker is right. You wouldn't be as likeable if you weren't so naive."

My brows met and I had to think that statement over a few time. "Then what's with all the deception?"

"In a war like ours, naivete spells almost certain death."

My jaw clamped shut.

"Now, if you please," he waved his fingers.

I sighed in frustration and have in. What other choice did I have?

Dino examined my hand closely, prying pebbles and sweeping dirt from the wound where he saw fit. It was difficult not to cringe. "I can see why Ratchet is concerned with your public appearance," he said after some time. "Your fluids are… interesting."

_Understatement,_ I muttered in my head. My blood was lavender. It couldn't have been any stranger unless it was green.

"Do you have something to wrap this in?"

"No," I answered.

He gave me a puzzled look. "Were you never told to travel with medical supplies?"

"If I packed everything Ratchet suggested I'd need a backpack the size of Ironhide's flatbed."

He chuckled. "Point taken, but if you wish to keep your body's enigmatic status silent you should consider carrying at least a few bandages."

"Well I hadn't exactly anticipated an Autobot turning Decepticon on me this morning," I retorted.

"As cliché as is sounds, expect the unexpected."

I rolled my eyes. "Glad to know there is at least one Autobot I can't trust."

He frowned. "As an espionage agent it is my duty to infiltrate and deceive. Whether you wish to accept my methods of education or not are up to you, but I suggest keeping an open mind. The Decepticons can be very cunning and their spies especially ruthless. If you cannot handle the likes of me, people who have no intention of harming you, how do you intend to handle those who do?"

"Same way I always have," I answered, "run."

"May your feet always find solid ground," his tone was kind but there was a sense of warning lingering within its depths.

It wasn't like I enjoyed running for my life. It was the only option I had. If Dino thought I would mouth off a Decepticon and then chase them around like I had him, he had a poor sense of judgment. I wasn't a solider. I had no desire to confront the Decepticons. I just wanted to be with Ironhide.

Was that too much to ask for?

I pulled my hand away and shoved it in my jacket pocket.

"You'll only soil your clothing that way," he pointed out.

"It can be washed." And if the blood didn't come out, well, every other person on the planet would think it was dye. It wasn't like I didn't already own several pairs of tarnished clothing. I was an engineering student in college. Messes happened, especially in my mentorship.

"Alright," Dino said with mild exasperation, hinting to that vain side I'd been warned about. "How about going someplace warm then, so you don't catch cold?

"Now you are concerned about my wellbeing?" I asked in amusement. "After you pissed me off, made me run a marathon and cut my hand open?"

"You ran yourself. No one forced you."

"What did you think I would do?"

He shrugged. "That was the whole point. I wanted to see how you would react. I can't teach a student who I don't understand."

"Excuse me?"

"Hands on learning," he explained. "It's the most effective way to teach a Cybertronian. I assumed it was much the same with humans."

"There's a difference between hands on and harassment Dino."

"You've made the decision to keep your nose in places it doesn't belong. Expect there to be consequences."

"From them," I gestured outward. "You're supposed to be an ally. Why am I being forced to suffer you?"

"As a friend it is my job to ensure the people I care about don't get killed."

"I don't think Ironhide would approve of you hurting me to help him."

"I wasn't talking about Ironhide."

My anger turned to bewilderment.

"Aside from being present this morning when Mearing arrived, I chose to skip a critical meeting so I could use the time to better acquaint myself with you. Of all the humans in my life, you are the most elusive. Every other Autobot knows you, can tell stories about you. I only know what I've been told and I am certain you know even less about me. The key difference however is I know what to expect from this war. I realize you have been around the Autobots for several years but you have retained a certain innocence that makes you vulnerable.

"You look at our war with hope, like there is some way we can end it in a storybook fashion and everyone will live happily ever after. We look at the war as a means of survival. Our home is gone and even if, by some miracle, it finds a way to recover in our absence, it won't happen in our lifetime. All we have is each other and our codes of honor. We fight because we have to and we cling our friendships because there is nothing else for us to cling to. I may not know you well enough to justify the term friend, but you are the lover of a close friend. That is reason enough for me to protect you and the only way I know how to do that, from any point in the world, is to teach you how to protect yourself, how to control yourself."

I bit the inside of my lip and looked away.

"War is bitter and hateful and unfair and until you learn that, truly learn it Melry, I cannot teach you anything. It doesn't matter how well you can wield a gun or how fast you can run. If you do not understand our war, our enemy, you will fall victim to their wrath and leave those around you to suffer."

My fists clenched and sent tears to my eyes for all the wrong reasons.

"Don't anger your wound Melry. If you need to punch something, I am right here. I won't move this time, but at least let me take you somewhere warm afterwards."

"I'd break my hand," I muttered.

"What?"

"I said I'd break my hand if I punched you."

He stared at me a moment and then laughed. "You're probably right, but then what were you planning on doing when you caught me."

"I don't know," I admitted. "I was winging it."

He shook his head. "Stubborn and passionate," he echoed his earlier words.

I huffed. It was extraordinarily difficult to be angry with him now… or, rather, it was easy to be angry, but it made me feel stupid. "Your teaching methods still suck," I muttered in a vain attempt to feel better.

"I've been told that before."

I sighed and stood. "In all seriousness Dino, is what you just said the truth or are you playing with me again."

His head tilted to the side and gave me an inquisitive look.

"Don't give me that. You've been playing with me all day. I want to know the truth."

"If you have already made up your mind that I am a jokester than there is nothing I can say that will change that."

"Dino," I snapped. "I am not playing games. If you are honestly trying to teach me something there has to be a point when you stop and speak clearly. You are not going to be able to teach me anything if I ignore your existence. So I ask you again, are you or are you not toying with me right now?"

"I stopped toying with you the moment you fell on the ground."

My eyes narrowed and I tried to gauge whether he was telling the truth or not. He stood tall and firm and only offered a slight shrug when I said nothing of his statement. Where did the play end and the observation begin? I didn't know. "I believe you."

"Good." He climbed to his feet. "Can we go somewhere warm now before I have to explain to certain parties why you got sick?"

"No" I said, knowing full well where this was going. "I am not getting in your alt mode. I said I believed you, not that I forgive you."

He frowned.

"I'd rather go to a museum."

A sense of surprise overcame him.

"We are surrounded by them," I motioned around.

"It's not that," he admitted gently. "I do not think I'll be able to accompany you."

While that sounded immensely pleasant, I knew otherwise. I only hoped a bit of kindness would end the foul play he had initiated. "Just follow me, I can get you in."

"How do you intend to do that," he asked, keeping in step.

"You'll see." I pulled on my fingerless gloves. "How do you feel about the Air and Space museum?"

"I can't fly and I've been through space," Dino said with ease. "I don't think that museum can inform me of much."

"I don't know," I said. "Do you know anything about human space shuttles?"

"No."

"What about Earth's solar system?"

"Nothing in detail."

"Have you ever seen a biplane?"

"Not in person."

"Then I think you'll like the museum."

He bowed his head in defeat and smiled.

"See, I'm not a total idiot."

"I never said you were," his responded gently.

Security was as I expected, but I still had to bite my tongue to contain my laughter when Dino stared up at the metal detectors. I made sure to linger just long enough for him to turn his expectant eyes my way.

"Good morning," I greeted the guard. He forced a smile and replied much the same. "It's his first time here," I half whispered.

The guard clearly didn't care and motioned for us to step through the detectors.

"I actually have this." I pulled a badge from my pocket and showed it to him.

He looked at the object, then me and then back to the pass. "Please step this way Ms. Lennox." We were led around the detectors. "Enjoy."

"Thank you," I smiled and pocketed my wonderful survival item. Dino gave me an odd look. "What?"

"Am I going to be the one who's toyed with now?"

I shrugged. A little bit of revenge would be nice.

"I'll admit I deserve it, but do tell, please."

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm. "Only because you said please, but you're going to have to wait a minute. I need water."

Dino used my time at the fountain to stare up at the assortment of planes and space orbiters hanging from the ceiling. I think I ended up drinking enough water to fill a swimming pool, a big one at that. My stomach sloshed awkwardly when I finally grabbed Dino's attention again.

"Director Mearing gave me the badge after an incident in Italy some time ago. I'd set off some stupid metal detector in an embassy and because I can't tell people about my uniquely crafted pacemaker…" my face scrunched in memory, "let's just say they wanted to search me in a rather effective manner and I found it insulting."

Given his expression, Dino understood.

"Needless to say, I was arrested and it took a great deal of fussing to get me out. I was given the badge a short time later and," I rolled my eyes, "was threatened with any number of obscene things if I didn't use it with discretion."

"How kind of her," Dino said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well, we know Mearing. Besides, she did have a point. The badge is intended for high ranking, specialize people. It allows the holder bypass typical security. In places like airports they'll pat me down, but here," I motioned upward, "it's a museum. They have security to satisfy the public and ward off idiots. They don't care. The real problem with the badge, and why Mearing threatened me, is it allows me to get into places I'm not supposed to be, like government building closed off to the public. She wanted me to know the boundaries."

"So another words the director did something right for a change," Dino noted with no small amount of surprise.

"Shocking, isn't it?"

We began our tour of the museum on the aviation wing. I had expected the trip to be a little awkward, leaving room for the unknown when it came to Dino's personality, but it turned out the special agent was quite the entertainer, even if he hadn't intended to be.

Our antiquated aviation technology baffled the poor Autobot, especially those dating from the World War I era and earlier, when the mortality rate of pilots was alarmingly high. He repeatedly remarked on how unfit the crafts seemed for dog fights, even those built later on. He also found great amusement in the lighter-than-air concepts were dirigibles were made into extravagant battle cruisers. They looked marvelous and were fun to read about, but there was one very distinct flaw in their design – they would never be able to fly. Ever. A balloon simply could not hold up a sixty-thousand ton vessel.

"Whimsical creatures aren't you," Dino remarked when we left the exhibit some time later.

"Some of the greatest creations began as a dream," I pointed out.

His face softened and he nodded.

"Several months ago, when I brought Optimus here, he mentioned you guys once had grand museums that made this one look infantile. Did you ever have the opportunity to see them?"

He shook his head. "They were gone by the time I came around."

_Shouldn't be surprised_, I thought. It was a shame that countless generations were missing out on their own history just because the Decepticons had gone mad.

"I'd imagine we once had objects like these in our museums," Dino said when we came upon the many NASA rockets that towered above us, despite being on the second floor.

I could only imagine how big those of Cybertron had been.

We went down into one the rockets and though he cloaked it well, I think Dino grimaced at the confined space. He had never struck me as the claustrophobic type but he had spent a great deal of time traveling through space. I would have cringed too if I were in his cleats and been stuck in a cramped tin can.

"Are all your ships like the Xanthium?" I asked when we exited. The Xanthium probably wasn't the Autobots' largest battleship, in fact I was fairly certain it wasn't, but it was still formidable in size, even on their scale.

"More or less. It hasn't been safe to travel in an unarmed vessel for ages."

Made sense and for the Wreckers, who had constructed the Xanthium, weaponry was not an issue. If anything it was overstocked.

"One of our greatest ships was taken down near the end of the war on our world," Dino said quietly. "The Ark had been state of the art and was expected to change the tides of aerial combat in our favor, but the real tragedy was not the loss of the ship. It was the loss of its crew."

I stared up at him in surprise. "What happened?"

"The Decepticons laid siege of the docks just as they were taking off. There were too many of them and though we fought hard and lost many, we could not hold them off." He shook his head in memory. "The Ark was taken down just out of orbit, moments before it could have found refuge amongst the stars. We lost so many great soldiers that day and among them was one of our finest leaders and scientists. All because of one tactical error." He shook his head again.

"I'm sorry," I murmured.

"We all are."

I let out a sigh and peered over the balcony. The museum was so empty. It was almost eerie. "Do you want to see a movie?"

He shrugged. "Your better judgment led me here. I'll let you decide."

That wasn't much of an answer. There did appear to be a film on the moon though. Maybe Dino would like that. He seemed more interested in astronomy than aviation at any rate and it would save us some walking since there was an entire exhibit dedicated to the satellite.

I could do with less walking. And fewer emotional roller coasters.

I think Dino could too.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Please Review!**

Next Chapter Preview:

I rolled over and pulled the bed sheets up over my head, trying to ignore the campfire smell wafting all around me. Ugh! It was so thick. We didn't even have a fireplace...

I shot up out of bed. We didn't have a fireplace!

((I'm going to try and get the next chapter up within two weeks so... wish me luck in this crazy life of mine!))


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Transformers, only my OC**

If being a zombie counts as being alive, then I'm still among the living! If not, well, I'm in trouble...

But anyway, this chapter has been a thorn in my side. Re-wrote it several times and the ending even more. Had fun with it, but it was still a bit of a pain.

As always, thank you to everyone who reviewed!

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

**Chapter 5**

The comforts of a soft bed and plush blankets did little to ease the ache of my overtaxed body and my hand certainly didn't help matters. It throbbed painfully within its gauzy bonds despite having been treated hours ago. My eyes burned from over exhaustion too.

It figured the one time I wanted to sleep, I couldn't.

My mind was of little assistance either. It kept tracing its way back through today's events. That nut case Dino, what was I going to do with him? If our relationship continued on like today I was going to go insane. Even if his intentions were good, his actions were absurd. I understood he was raised in the middle of a war, but there were better ways to teach a student.

I sighed and rolled over. Life with the Autobots was never uneventful, that was sure. Nor was life in this house, apparently. What were my relatives up to at this hour? There was a smoky smell in the air.

I tried to ignore it by focusing on other things. The day had been pretty uneventful after Dino and I had returned to base. I had spent much of the afternoon curing Ironhide of his foul mood, which hadn't been easy thanks to the self-proclaimed Queen of America.

Everything beyond that point was a blur. I couldn't even remember what I'd eaten for supper and I honestly was too tired to care, yet my brain continued to ward off sleep as if it were an age old nemesis. If it didn't start cooperating soon I was going to be forced to drug it into submission.

I rolled onto my other side and pulled the blankets up over my head. Ugh! This house smelled like a campfire. The smoke was so thick. I didn't understand where it was coming from. We didn't have a fireplace...

I shot up out of bed. We didn't have a fireplace!

The hallway was filled with a thick, black smoke that stung my lungs and eyes the instant I entered. I collapsed to the floor, trying to get away, but it was too late. My lungs were filled and I was overcome with a fit of coughs. An ominous glow filled the stairwell and the crackling of wood could be heard from below.

How in the hell had I not noticed this sooner!

"Uncle Will," I tried to scream but my voice was so hoarse.

By the heavens, how did this happen? Why weren't the alarms going off?

A small wail made my blood run cold. _Annabelle._

My six year old niece.

I pulled the collar of the shirt up over my nose and crawled as quickly as I could towards her bedroom. I could barely find the doorknob the smoke was so think and even when I got inside I could barely see anything. Her nightlight was dead.

The power was out.

"Annabelle," I called. "I'm here." I scrambled to her bedside, tripping over toys and kiddy furniture. If we made it out of this mess alive I was going to be littered with enough bruises to make a Decepticon brawl look infantile.

"Anna." I nearly toppled into her bed when I at last found it, but that's what brought the most jostling realization of all. Her bed was empty. "Anna?" I called. "Anna, where are you?"

I know her cry had come from in here. It was the only room at the end of the hall.

"Annabelle answer me!" Was she hiding?

I struggled across the battlefield of forgotten dolls and legos in search of her closet. She always hid there when she was upset.

The smoke grew thicker as I searched blindly for the knob. I knew was there, somewhere. "Annabelle, please. It's me. It's Melry. Where are you?"

Glass shattered somewhere downstairs. My heart pounded in my chest.

_Damn it. _I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. "ANNA!"

Another wail came. This time from hall.

Had she crawled out around me?

I willed my legs into motion and bolted out from the room, keeping as low to the ground as I could. The stairwell glowed more ferociously than it had before.

Another wail sounded, this one louder than the last two. My heart all but stopped.

It was coming from downstairs.

Where the fire was strongest.

Fear was lost to numbness and delirium, and before I knew it I was sprawled out on the first floor with my pant legs aflame. I couldn't bring myself to focus on the scene around me as I beat out the fire. It felt like I'd entered hell's kitchen and when I at last looked up I knew it was far worse.

Everything was in flame. Photos. Memories. Beloved object. Everything was burning.

"Ironhide!" I screamed. The smoke wasn't as thick down here but the intensity of the flames more than made up for it. Already I felt it burning me and I wasn't on fire.

Another wail hit my ears. The garage! Anna was with him. She was going to be alright, but where were my relatives?

A beam in the kitchen fell with a terrifying crash. Embers shot in every which direction and I screamed helplessly.

I had to get out of here. The garage was accessible from outside. Hopefully everyone had gotten to Ironhide because the beam had just closed off its doorway.

I didn't have time to plot a path. The fire was so hot and I was growing fainter by the moment. I just ran, straight through a window, where the hot, burning sensation that overwhelmed me inside was overtaken the icy cold tendrils of… weightlessness? No. Water!

I couldn't swim!

My cry went unheard and I thrashed about desperately. I'd jumped in the river! God I was such an idiot!

When at last I found the surface I gasped for air, but instead found a mouthful of water. I choked and fought to stay on the surface, trying to find the air I knew I had just felt.

_Someone help me! _My mind screamed desperately.

Water crashed over my head and shoved me beneath its surface. Stones tore at my clothing.

I struggled and kicked and flailed my arms in all the glories of a dying fish. I had to find the surface. I had to find air!

"Melry!" Ironhide's voice sounded when at last hit the surface once more. He was running along the bank, trying to get to me but it was no use. The current was too strong.

A roaring noise filled my ears but I couldn't focus upon it. I was too busy trying to keep my head up. "Ironhide!" I tried to cry but only part of it got out before water stole my voice.

"Hang on!" He cried.

I'd love a log or branch to hang onto!

The bank wasn't all that far away but the current was horrific and anytime I tried to navigate my way towards it I was pummeled down into the river's bed. My elbow took a heavy blow and sent pain ricocheting up my arm.

I choked and wheezed upon the surface, trying not the black out from the pain.

"Melry swim for shore," Ironhide bellowed.

_I can't,_ my mind cried. The constant roar that filled the air grew stronger with each passing moment and I could see mist flying high into the air just up ahead.

I was headed straight for a waterfall.

"Swim!" Ironhide cried.

I didn't even get the chance to try. It was as if something had grabbed hold of my ankles and yanked below the surface because I couldn't even move my legs. Blackness consumed my vision and water filled my lungs. I couldn't die like this!

And then I was airborne.

"Melry," Ironhide screamed in a panic.

Warmth struck my chest all at once and parted the darkness and mist that clouded my vision and gave way to a lush forest canopy that extended out to cloud crested mountains. My breath caught. Birds flew below, oblivious to my decent, and a brilliant blue river, fed by the treacherous waterfall from which I fell, snaked through their home.

This place…

The land parted and raced up to greet me. I barely had time to scream.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

**Please Review!**

Next Chapter Preview:

I whined helplessly and clutched my bleeding nose as three overly large Autobot stared down at me, each with a very different expression.

((if you're confused, chapter 1 holds the answer))


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Transformers, only my OC.**

**Thanks for all the reviews guys!**

I don't know if I have bad news or me-just-being-me-in-freak-out-mode news. Anyone who follows my Facebook account for Melry probably knows the last two days have been the calmest I've had in quite a while. There's a lot going on and while the lack of writing time is nothing new, it's gotten to the point where I'm ready to explode with frustration. I nearly ripped up one of my notebooks this past week because of it. The book has become more of a dead weight in my bag than a utensil for creativity and while I'm not mad at the story contained within its pages (an original one), I am upset with my inability to sit down and properly craft the tale. Between of the stress caused by work, family drama, lack of free time for writing and other nonsensical things, I've been sick more times in the last few months than I have in my entire life, which is only a vague exaggeration. I usually catch ONE small cold a year. But I've been catching one or two small bugs a month... or maybe it's just the stress working up my anxiety to the point where I'm ill, for days. Nothing that keeps me home from work, but it's enough to make me uncomfortable and more fatigued than normal, leading to even less personal work getting done and higher stress. So until I can get things in my life under wraps I'm going to say, for the sake of my mental & physical health, that I'm going on hiatus.

It always annoys me to leave a story dead on the tracks but I am seriously in a rut and this story is not helping. I keep stressing out about getting chapters up and that's the last thing I need right now. Fanfics are supposed to be fun to write. That's why they are called Fan Fics. It's a piece of literary fantasy made to play on a fandom that brings you joy and relieves stress. Right now it's doing the opposite and it needs to stop.

So until I can get myself out of this spiraling pattern of stress induced craziness, I'm shelving the story.

But there is the matter of this chapter to contend with, so here it is. Hope you enjoy it!

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

**Chapter 6**

Pain shot through my face and I let out a shrill yelp.

"Primus Melry!"

Pressure seized my sides and the ground vanished. I couldn't see anything through the fireworks. Panic ripped through my body.

And then I gently found solid ground.

"Easy," the same foggy voice from before said.

My heart raced. What was going on?

The pressure on my side turned into a gentle rub and a warm sense of calm stretched across my breast.

"Ironhide?" I mumbled.

"You took quite a fall," a different voice said. "We're fortunate the damage isn't any worse."

Images of the waterfall flashed through my mind. How was I alive?

I reached for my face as carefully as I could and yelped when I made contact. It wasn't until the fireworks began to fade that I noticed the purplish mass hovering before me. It took a moment to realize I was staring at my own hand.

"You alright?" the first voice asked.

_I'm bleeding,_ my mind noted.

"You think she can hear us?" A third voice questioned.

"She responded a moment ago," the gentler, second voice replied.

_I'm bleeding, _my mind clicked with realization.

"Calm down."

My nose was broken!

"She's in a state, what do you expect."

"And you wanted to surprise her."

I whined helplessly and clutched my battered nose. It hurt so badly, but how had I gotten out with this injury alone? The waterfall had been so high.

The ground shifted and my heart jolted. Earthquake?

No, it couldn't be, I finally decided. The ground wasn't right. It was metal. A mid grade tone of gray, in fact, and was constructed of numerous plates and littered with scratches.

_A hand? _My eyes slowly trailed down the length of the object, beyond where it connected into a jet black shade, and upward until… I let out a miserable groan.

I didn't need my glasses to know there were three overly large Autobot staring down at me, each wearing a very different expression. I could read it in their posture.

"Well look who finally decided to pay us some heed," Dino said with amusement.

"What happened?" Ironhide asked in concern.

What did he mean? He'd been there…

I looked around.

"You're on base," Ironhide said, sensing my confusion. "You fell asleep in Dino's cabin on the way back."

"And then decided it was a good idea to jump out of his hand," Dino added.

_What?_

"Let's get our proprieties straight please," Ratchet said. "I'd like to make sure her nose doesn't require medical assistance before we start arguing semantics."

"Who's arguing?" Dino asked.

"Your station?" Ironhide dismissed the comment.

Ratchet nodded.

I looked down at myself. There was blood all over my coat but that wasn't what really surprised me. "I'm not wet," I remarked aloud.

That earned what I presumed to be a confused glance from two of the three Autobots. No one asked however and I was beginning to understand why.

Ironhide placed me gently on the very cold table, but his hands did not vanish until Ratchet's human form landed nearby.

"Alright, let me have a look." Ratchet gingerly took my face into his hands and tilted it from side to side, undoubtedly using his x-ray capabilities to register the damage. I could scarcely make out the glasses perched high on his nose without the assistance of my own. "You did quite a number on yourself. Fortunately it does not appear you caused enough damage to raise concern, though I wager it will continue to bleed for a while still."

He stood. "I'll be back in a moment, don't move." He was little more than a white mass as he wandered off to the corner of his workbench.

Ironhide knelt on down to be at eye level. "Don't _ever _do that again."

"What did I do?"

"I already answered that," Dino said with mild amusement.

Ironhide gave him a hard look.

"But…" I glance up at the agent. "H-how did I get into Ironhide's hand?"

Dino shrugged. "I put you there."

I didn't know how to respond. My mind was running in circles so fast nothing made sense anymore.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you," Ironhide asked softly.

It couldn't have been. I didn't want to believe it was something so simple, but how else could I explain my dryness or Ironhide's demeanor. He wouldn't have been this calm had I truly been in danger but… I could still hear him screaming my name.

"As much as I appreciate the attempt to have her speak, there are other things we must focus on," Ratchet said once he returned. He placed a bag of ice on my nose. It stung horrifically. "I know," he said gently, "it's not comfortable, but it will help. I have a towel as well, so we can try and avoid further staining."

It took some maneuvering but eventually Ratchet decided to manage the towel himself and left me to handle the ice. Dino wandered off soon after, not that I blamed him. What could he possibly do but stare at me? He didn't have the compelling need to remain like Ironhide and I felt bad enough for my spark mate. He was frustrated, I could tell from the dismal feel playing on the edge of my heart. He wanted to help and I didn't know how to comfort him. I couldn't trick him with words, not when pain and confusion filled my mind.

None of it made any sense. The dream had felt too real to be fake and I had never been on the surface before. Nor had my family ever been involved for that matter. I had always been alone, flying for whatever reason. Why did it change all of a sudden? It didn't make sense.

I'd had the nightmare so many times.

"These things are at a rather interesting angle." I heard Dino before I saw him. His hand came close to me, but I couldn't see why, not until Ratchet picked up a small object.

My glasses.

"I'm surprised they're not broken," Ratchet remarked. "But I am also surprised Melry's nose isn't in worse shape. Primus was looking after you today, that's all I can say."

Well if that were the case, why didn't he stop the whole catastrophe?

Maybe it was a little mean to think so harshly of their deity, but could anyone really blame me given what I had just been through.

Ratchet placed my glasses on my face few a few moments later. They were crooked, partly from the fall but mostly from the ice. "It's the best I can do at the moment without snapping the frame," Ratchet explained.

I was surprised he'd been able to do anything at all with just one hand, but he was a war doctor. He'd likely learned to do many things with a single hand. "Thank you."

I wasn't sure I liked seeing the hanger in clarity. The place was usually pretty lively, even when most of the team was gone, but right now it seemed… dismal. Suddenly my nose didn't seem as important anymore.

What had happened while I was gone?

Optimus stood on the far side of the hanger with fingers pressed against his lips in thought. His eyes were fixed on the blank monitors before him. Even Que was off beat. The usually peppy scientist appeared forlorn, until he took note of me as he passed anyway. My appearance had jostled him into a state of surprise and he left mumbling something about electrical outputs and biosuits.

I looked to Ironhide but a movement from Dino caught my attention first and I found him looking down at me with crossed arms and a quirked brow. His words from The Mall suddenly echoed in my head.

Damn him. I wanted to know what was going on!

Surely someone would tell me if it was important, right?

When at last the bleeding had slowed to a trickle Ratchet freed me from his imprisonment. "You are free to go Mel, but keep the ice on it," Ratchet advised as he folded the towel. "It will lessen the swelling."

"I'm surprised you aren't attacking her for answers Ratchet," Ironhide said.

Must he remind him?

"At this point I have more important things to contend with. I will leave the rest up to you."

Okay, I had to be dreaming. Since when did Ratchet pass up a chance to harass me?

"Anything I should know?" Ironhide asked.

"She's to take it easy. Other than that," Ratchet shrugged, "use your best judgment."

Dino snorted and Ironhide gave him a hard look. The agent held up his hands defensively but his expression remained humored.

"Melry," Ratchet made sure I was looking straight at him before continuing, "be honest and as thorough as possible. You begin school in less than a week. I don't want a repeat of this scare."

"I don't foresee myself being asleep in another Autobot's hand." I had meant it to sound reassuring but I only felt more like a smart aleck.

"I'm more afraid you will step off a platform or lunge under someone's foot," Ratchet explained. "I will forewarn Jolt and Roadbuster, but there is only so much they can do."

I groaned. "Please don't tell Roadbuster. I have enough problems with the Wreckers as it is."

"Be that as it may, it is better to accept their childish antics than it is to be killed by their ignorance."

I had reason to doubt that statement.

"Let's not make life difficult for everyone else just because you have issues with your guardians."

Dino chuckled and my heart sank.

"Is that necessary?" Ironhide glowered.

"My apologies," the agent bowed. "My humor was, perhaps, misplaced."

"I suggest you move along," Ironhide warned.

"Of course." Dino turned to me. "Feel better my young friend and thank you for your generosity today. It made for quite the adventure."

I wasn't sure which adventure he was referring to.

Ratchet shook his head as he left. "That 'bot." He turned his attention on Ironhide. "I don't anticipate there being any complications but, as always, contact me if you need anything. Otherwise, let's gather as much information as we can and hope her leap of faith was a onetime event."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Talking about my dream was even more exhausting than living it.

Ironhide had been interrogating me for hours and together we had picked apart everything from scents to location. We ultimately decided I must have responded to my physical environment because between Dino's transformation and his passing me off to Ironhide, I had been moved around enough to, presumably, represent the rough waters.

There were gaps with the logic however.

Neither of us could think of why my house had been on fire. Dino hadn't suffered any malfunctions during his return and I certainly didn't smell like I'd been anywhere near smoke. The only thing we could assume was that Dino had had his heaters on, yet I hadn't been sweaty or overheated when I'd awoken.

Even the weightlessness was questionable. It was true that the waterfall event aligned itself with my leap from Ironhide's hand, but every nightmare I could remember ended with me falling.

I groaned and leaned back. At least I was safe now and, somewhat, comfortable.

Ironhide and I had removed ourselves from base and had take up residence in our usual spot in the State Park. Unfortunately we had been so immersed in conversation along the way we had forgotten to stop at home so I could change. It left me feeling grungy, but at least Ironhide had kept a blanket stashed away on his person for me. It hid the mess and warded off the chill.

"There has to a reason for these nightmares," Ironhide mused aloud.

"Self inflicted torture by my evil shadow twin," I grumbled.

"You don't have a twin."

"You missed the joke."

He frowned.

"I can't think of a single reason why they're happening," I said. "They're not stress related and I'm getting plenty of exercise and rest. I rarely drink –"

"You're not supposed to at all," he pointed out.

"Not the point," I replied, "it has nothing to do with my dreams."

"So you think."

"I know they don't," I said indignantly. "I have a drink or two a month, that's it. It's not enough to do anything."

Ironhide surprised me with a chuckle. "I was the one who told you to ignore the rule, remember."

I could have smacked myself. How had I forgotten? He had called me on my twenty-first birthday to tell me to have something hard. Jessy Pembleton, my best friend, had been all too happy to comply, which had been laughable considering the two never got along. Ratchet had nearly blown a circuit when he found out though.

"Sorry about the trouble that caused."

Ironhide shrugged. "Not the first time I've had a wrench thrown at my head."

I could only imagine.

"Have you ever considered keeping a log of your daily activities?"

"Why?" I asked.

He pushed me with his forefinger. "For cross reference stupid. What were we just talking about?"

"My alcoholism."

He grunted.

"It's funny. I didn't have these nightmares until I started college."

Ironhide rolled his optics. "Blame me, I can take the abuse."

"I was going to blame the Wreckers, but you're right. I wouldn't have had to deal with them had you not forced me to attend college. So I guess I can legitimately say you are the cause of my nightmares. You broke my nose!"

"You deserved it."

"Ah!" I cried in mock surprise. "You jerk. Fine, if you're going to be that way, we're done." I pulled the blanket up over my head.

"That a fact?"

"Yes."

There was a creak, like Ironhide had leaned against a tree. "Suit yourself."

I was a little disappointed. I had expected a bigger retaliation.

No sooner had the thought passed through my mind however, I was assaulted with a single, strong emotions that left my face aflame.

"Stop that!" I burst from the depths of my warm blanket.

Ironhide laughed.

"Your mind needs a serious douse of bleach."

"Before or after you lay on my forehead?"

I glowered up at him, trying to seem stern.

His smile widened.

The mask broke. "After, preferably."

A large hand swept me up off the ground and brought me close to its owners face. "And you claim I need help."

"You do, in more than one way," I teased.

He grinned and leaned forward until I could close the gap and connect our foreheads.

The affects were instantaneous and like a sudden power surge that would not end. Our minds melded and I could feel him all around me, embracing me in a way no pair of arms could. It was like being wrapped in a warm blanket of passion and protection, one that was real and not just a dream.

"Do me a favor," Ironhide said when we parted, "stay out of trouble."

"Can you do the same for me?"

He grunted.

"Didn't think so." There was always something that got in the way. A misstep here. A battle there. A loose beam falling out of the arms of an idiot as he galloped mockingly towards his ship. There was no way to avoid trouble with these guys.

"Melry, you said this was the first time the dream had you land locked, correct?"

"Yeah," I answered.

"Did you get a good look at the forest by chance?"

"I was too busy trying not to drown," I said flatly. "You forget I can't swim, even in my dreams."

"That wasn't what I was getting at."

"I assume it was a forest like this," I motioned around us. "And what does it matter? We've been through this already. I don't know."

"Mel, your house is in a cul-de-sac. The nearest forest is miles away and the nearest river even further. I'm trying to figure out where they came from because maybe that's a clue to ending it."

"I don't know," I repeated. "I wasn't paying attention to details. Would you have in my place?"

"I'm not blaming you," he assured. "But sometime our subconscious catches things we don't realize and we need the right questions to remember."

"I don't know!"

"Don't get angry with me. You know that's not productive."

I brushed hair from my face. "Sorry."

"You're the one living with the problem, but don't forget I feel it too. I want this to end just as much as you do."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'm just tired of not being able to sleep properly and now I have to worry about what I'm going to do when I'm not alert."

"I could tie you down to the bed," he joked.

I couldn't help but laugh, just a little.

"Do me a favor," he said, "stay in my cabin tonight."

"Worried about a fire?"

"No, I'm worried about you."

He smiled softly when I stared up at him.

"Let's go home," he said, "we both could use some rest."

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

**Please review!** Even if it'll be a while until the next chapter. Please review.

I think Melry needs a vacation too. Lol. The story would probably be easier to write if I were in the happy-go-lucky chapters, so to speak, but... I have to get through all this crud before I can worry about those. Boo. As much as Melry harps about Roadbuster, he's really fun to write. I have scattered bits of him done out in a quick thought basis, but most of it is in my head. I do really enjoy his character. He's entertaining.

But for now... I must find my happy place. Already working on it. I've signed myself up for two activities that are supposed to be stress relieving. They won't help with freeing up time but they will force me to chill - horseback riding and three days of comic con. So... wish me luck!


End file.
